ravings from a woman one cat away from insanity

Tag Archives: Reading

Oh man, I am SO upset about this book! After David Sedaris‘s last book I was really looking forward to this one. By that I mean, his last book sucked and left a comedy void in my soul. I had to read a lot of Dave Barry to fill that in. There were a few stories in this book that were hilarious. Like- you can’t read them in public because people will stare at you – hilarious. However the majority of these stories were frankly boring. It reminded me a bit of the show The Fabulous Beekman Boys. Parts of it are the funniest thing on TV and the other half is boring. Really, really boring. You absolutely MUST read “Dentists Without Borders” and “Understanding Understanding Owls.”

It was sad. So sad. I really enjoyed reading about Amy’s life from her father’s perspective. The biggest problem is also this viewpoint’s biggest strength in that it’s written by her father. You get all the intimate details only a father would know and a glimpse into what was a very special relationship for Amy, but you also see Amy through the rose-tined glasses of her father. The major flaw in this book was addressed over and over again with a sense of self-awareness that I felt made it more believable.

The real tragedy is that we all know how this ends. No spoiler alerts needed here. Reading about Amy’s recovery and all the improvements she made in her life weren’t uplifting. Not at all because I knew how this book would end. The entire book read with a pall over it. When is it going to happen? I got WAY too emotionally invested in this book and looked up the paparazzi pictures and videos of performances that were referenced. It’s one thing to read about someone’s deadly addiction, but it’s another thing entirely to see it. It was crushing and sad, but also gave me an impression of Amy that I didn’t expect. I was not a huge fan before I read this, but I am now.